Mark Cuban PHOTO
03.06.2020

Mark Cuban Supports Human Growth Hormone for Athlete Rehab

Human growth hormone shows significant promise in promoting recovery from orthopedic injuries.

Mark Cuban, the billionaire entrepreneur who owns the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks, is advocating the use of human growth hormone to help athletes who are rehabilitating from certain types of injuries. A new University of Michigan study provides scientific evidence to support his position.

The Mark Cuban Foundation and the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases provided funding for a new research study conducted by the Michigan Center for Human Athletic Medicine and Performance (MCHAMP).

Mark Cuban is committed to maximizing athlete health outcomes following orthopedic injuries.

“I worked with the University of Michigan and we put together a study, and as it turned out, comparing athletes vs. a placebo, there was a significant improvement in their recovery time and getting back to full strength,” Cuban explained to ESPN. “And so now, this is the first step towards offering data and hopefully the NBA, the Olympics and other leagues will look at this and say ‘let’s do some more studies.’ I’m willing to get involved with more studies financially, but if we can get the leagues to do it, the players I think will all be for it as long as you can prove that it’s safe.”

Cuban hopes that the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). and specifically the National Basketball Association (NBA). will eventually permit athletes to use hGH.

“It’s time to recognize that HGH (Human Growth Hormone) can positively impact injury recovery,” Cuban wrote. “I funded this study so that athletes can get back to full strength and doing what they love.”

MCHAMP researchers found that hGH largely prevented muscle atrophy following anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) knee surgery. The loss of muscle strength and size has always been a major problem for athletes recovering from ACL surgery. Significant muscle atrophy persists even following lengthy rehabilitation.

There remain many obstacles before athletes are allowed to use hGH.

First of all, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) only permits the prescribing of hGH for growth hormone deficiency syndromes. It is illegal to prescribe it for any other off-label purposes without explicit FDA approval.

Secondly, WADA prohibits the use of hGH as a performance-enhancing drug (PED) at all times. Athletes who want to use hGH for injury recovery must obtain a therapeutic use exemption (TUE).

Christopher Mendias, an associate professor of orthopedic surgery at the University of Michigan and the lead study author, hopes that the current research will cause the FDA to reconsider an on-label use of hGH for orthopedic injuries. In addition, Mendias also hopes that WADA will consider granting TUEs for athletes who are recovering from ACL reconstruction.

Cuban indicated that he will continue to fund additional research on hGH and orthopedic injuries with the goal of promoting the best health outcomes for athletes recovering from orthopedic injuries.

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